stupid question!!!!!!!

ok before anyone calls me a dipstick!!! i have been looking over my pride and joy (the missus was with me) for the life of me i can't find the oil dipstick on my car, now i reakon i'm mechanically mined but jez i searched for about an hour even had one of our mechanics look. now if i'm being a dipstick and clearly missing it, anyone any ideas???? its a 2001 996tt cheers

Doesn't have one. Oil is measured using the OBC

cheers dave, thought i was going bonkers, even had Aine looking to see had i missed it this is a woman who just about understands the principle of how and engine works. if you don't mind me asking dave i am going to need a set of tyres soon any preferences??? also i'm considering changing the brake pads myself am i wise????

Tyre wise I prefer Michelin Pilot Sports. Good all round tyre that wear pretty well and have excellent grip in all conditions. The only downside is that they do tend to be a little noisier than the P Zero's. When you do get the new tyres try some different pressures. The 38psi front and 44psi rear make the car a little "nervous". I run mine at 33f and 39r and it seems very planted. As for the pads and discs that is a simple job and takes about a minute. First take out you wallet, select which card you intend to use, hand it to the man with oily hands, push a few buttons, return card to wallet and job done.

very good!!!!!! but come on i want to get my hands dirty with my new toy. sorry to bother you this early in the morning, but how do you know when to change the discs??

Regarding the dipstick, I presume you wanted to check oil level? As mentioned that can be seen on the dash. AFAIK the oil levels should be checked when the engine is warm (if your thinking about topping it up) and fill it up in several intervals monitoring the oil levels each time to prevent overfill as Ive been told this can be quite lethal. :shock:

If you believe the nice people at the local OPC your discs and pads need changing every time you take your car there. I tend to go on the advice of my local indie - Parr in Crawley but I do check regularly to make sure the cracks aren't all joining up and haven't got to the edge of the disk.

Brake pads and discs are relatively straightforward Shane, hell, even i did my rear discs and pads all round..... :shock: pads just need the retainers removing and they should slide straight in, replace the pad wear sensor and put everything back, job done. (try looking on rennlist for some pictures) Discs mean removal of the caliper but again, not a particularly difficult job. the hardest bit is re-aligning the handbrake shoes if you move them IMO.... again, try rennlist (sorry don;t have a URL on work PC) for the DIY section etc.

I prefer to wait until the brake warning light comes on the dashboard. |o| You get about 1,000 miles of careful driving from this point. OPC tells me every time I went to get a service that the pads were low and that had been going on for about 2 years.

Smartarse :lol: You can come down to Chavley and do mine Tim when they next need replacing

sure no problem, Did i mention i charge more than OPC rates? :wink: failing that you can pay me in beer. So a £4.28 bill will be winging your way :lol: :lol:

cheers lads the pads have about 2mm left, had all the wheels of last weekend, i noticed that there is a bit of rust on the inner part of the discs and was going to give them a good rub down and apply a protective coating.

996 discs are well known for the inner face rust Shane, if its too bad it could be replacement time or at least have them skimmed professionally. Pads sound like they need doing though.

Axle grease should keep them looking nice and shiny... :wink: :lol: :lol: I bottled out of changing all my pads last month - but I did get them done in Germany instead, which is about half the price of a UK OPC. I've done them on other cars loads of times (used to change them every rally on my rally car years ago, and that was driven to the boundaries of life and death every time I competed), but I don't know what it is about a Porsche - it's just a bit more scary for some completely irrational and inexplicable reason!

i have a coulple of mechanics working for me that are speed freaks and can literally work on anything plus i used to work on aircraft so i reakon i could give it a good bash........ famous last words. just as matter of interest if any one here is looking for spare parts for any porsche let me know as there is a company local to me in Northern Ireland called Traynors and currently they have apprx 20-25 cars for breaking ranging from 2004 GT3 down through almost every type to early 80's models!!!! very reasonable, and great service......if anyone is looking a part in a hurry just drop me a line and i'll drive down and take a look to see if they have the part needed. funny they have a few GT's with full exhaust systems and half body kits etc....